Physical Therapy for the Limitation of Range of Ankle Dorsal Flexion

Abstract

This article describes the intervention for improvement of the limitation of range of ankle dorsal flexion. A limited range of ankle dorsal flexion is caused by shortening of antagonist musde or joint capsule, decrease of joint play and disorder of the axis of dorsal flexion. Especially, a disorder of the joint axis is the most important finding among all causes. Disorder of the joint axis has a close relation with shortening of the soft tissue around the ankle joint. Especially, there are some typical parts, in which shortening of the soft tissue is related to disorder of the ankle motion axis. These parts were identified as the D-point (Daikuya's normalizing point for ankle axis). Compression and stretching to the D-point normalized ankle axis disorder. Normalizing the ankle axis is an important strategy in physical therapy for the limitation of the range of ankle dorsal flexion, because normal soft tissue is loosened and shortened tissue is untouched in physical therapy for an abnormal ankle axis.